The Vacation
by kcat1971
Summary: [Transitions Universe Story #2] Josh & Donna take the next step in their relationship. And its a doozy. (November 2006)
1. Chapter 1

I looked around the suite and smiled to myself. Otto had done well booking this place. The look on his face when I'd barked at him.

"Maui! Tickets for 2! Tonight! And book a full week at a nice resort."

I really did need to figure out where he was going to fit into the new administration. But I wasn't going to think about work this week.

I looked over at Donna who was smiling to herself while unpacking our clothes. I'm such a gomer. I'd brought her to the most romantic place on earth... and proposed on the plane!

I hadn't meant to. I mean, I've been thinking about how to propose to Donna for years. It was one of my favorite unwind techniques. If I needed to turn off politics for a minute or two, I'd pull out one of the many scenarios in my head and tweak the details. What color rose petals leading down the hall in my apartment or exactly what type of champagne? Sky-writing over DC? Yep- I've thought about it.

I wanted to ask so many times. Well, not exactly ask. I've whispered "marry me, Donna," in my head almost every day for the last I don't know how many years. I don't think she knows it, but practically every time I've shouted "DONNA!" inside its been followed by, "please god, Donna, save me from myself." Oh, who am I kidding? Of course she knows.

"So," I stutter out, "I've been thinking..." She looks up at me and grins. God! That smile.

"What did I tell you about that?"

Oh my god. I love her so much.

"I want to sweep you off your feet. I want to shower you in gifts. I want you to spend as much time and money as you want planning the wedding of your dreams. Except, I don't. I want to marry you today. I want it so bad I can barely breathe. I want to spend the rest of this trip and the rest of my life introducing you as my wife."

Did I say that out loud? I stopped for a breath. There were tears running down her cheeks. Like I said, Gomer.

"Josh, that is the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

I sort of want to banter with her. It's so much more comfortable than laying my heart out. But this is literally the most important moment of our life. So I just tell her my dream scenario-

"What do you say? We can have a party later- invite all our friends, do it however you want. But today at sunset, on this island, I'd really like to marry you."


	2. Chapter 2

"Gee, Josh, I don't know..." Sure, he's just made me the happiest I've been in . . . I don't know . . . forever. But if I don't start having some fun with him he's going to combust. I mean, I adore sweet, sappy Josh. But the guy can only go so long without saying something stupid. And we are at our best when we banter.

"There's my parents, my sister and brother, their families, your Mom, the Bartlets . . . you know, I think Will could put together another White House Wedding before the Inauguration."

"You are an evil, evil woman." He says with a sparkle in his eye.

"Seriously," I say walking up and gently slapping him on the arm, "I can't think of anything better than marrying you today."

He reaches down and cups the back of my head and pulls me in for a passionate kiss. Well- maybe something better. I pull back and shout:

"No!" He looks confused. And adorable.

"Josh, Josh, Josh, Joshua, Josh... we ARE going to get married today and we ARE going to do it right..."

He interupts me saying-

"We are going to mark the occassion! For I am a man of occassion!"

To which I respond-

"And I am going to make damn sure it's legal."


	3. Chapter 3

"Team work makes the dream work, Baby!" She's grinning at me like I'm a gomer again. God, I love her.

"O.k. Here's the plan," I say. "You're going to find someone to marry us, all legal-like. And I'm going to take care of the rest." I grin at her.

"Oh! And a dress- you are in charge of the dress. ready. set. break!"

She's looking at me incredulously. (Remember? 760 SAT Word, baby.)

"Did you really just say ' ready. set. break!' in regard to our wedding plans? You are such a dork."

Yes, she knows me well.


	4. Chapter 4

He is SUCH a dork. But he's my dork. God. I love him.

I suppose some girls wouldn't be thrilled with a suprise wedding in Hawaii, but those girls are stupid. I don't need endless amounts of stress to try to impress people I barely know. The people we truly love and would want here are a little busy right now anyway. They'll just be thrilled we finally we reached this point. God knows we've waited long enough.

I gotta admit- when I gave him the four week ultimatium I didn't expect him to come through quite so quickly. Oh I knew he'd come through. I mean- he's been carrying that ring in his backpack for at least 3 years!

When first saw the box, my heart sunk. After the second Inauguration Balls, I really believed that someday we'd make it to this point. The gomers I dated, and the witches he slept with, were just distractions. But I found the box during one of Amy's assaults and, for a moment, I doubted. Then I opened the box and I knew. There is no way he bought that ring for Amy. I've tried it on and its a perfect fit. That didn't surprise me either. Once Josh decides to do something, he's all in. But I'd still tried it on just in case. Hey, I'm only human! Of course he doesn't know that I know. . . or maybe he does. I thought he'd give it to me on the plane after he proposed but I really don't think he planned that. Anyway-It's time for that ring to get on my finger where it belongs.

I really do trust him to make tonight perfect- for he is a man of occasion. But I've gotta do my part, I really do want this to be legal. And I need to find the perfect dress. What I really need is the concierge!


	5. Chapter 5

I kissed her long and hard after the dork comment. Not that I really need an excuse to do that these days- but her calling me a dork has been turning me on for years. After the kiss I practically bolted out the door. The room and the bed will still be here tonight and I have plans to accomplish!

I made a bee-line for the concierge and plopped into the seat in front of him.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"I wanna get married. Tonight." He looks a little surprised at that. He gives me the once over.

O.k. yes, I'm sitting here in rumpled suit pants and a button down shirt, and my hair is probably doing God-knows-what. Come to think of it, I'm surprised Donna let me out of the room this way. But, come on. This is Hawaii. It can't be that hard to get married here.

"Alright," he says. I must have passed inspection. "What did you have in mind?"

"Romantic. It's gotta be romantic. I'm thinking the beach. Soft music. Sunset. Definitely sunset. . . ." Suddenly I stop.

"Oh God. Here she comes." She must have had the same idea as me.

"Quick. Hide" I say to the concierge half blocking my face with the brochure he'd just handed me.

Of course she saw me. She just smiles, shakes her head at me and keeps walking. I hope she's heading toward the boutiques.

Whew. I look back at the concierge, who is looking rather amused now.

"So that's her? Does she know about this wedding plan?" He sounds doubtful.

"Of course she does!" I shout "I asked her on the plane last night!"


	6. Chapter 6

Like that little piece of paper's gonna hide him. Dork. Still, he makes me smile. I'm glad to see he's getting some help with the planning. I'm a little less concerned about the legality if he's going to use a professional.

I'll let him have his fun. I shake my head gently to let him know that I won't crash his meeting. He can take care of everything.

Once upon a time, I'd had a whole wedding planned in my head. The gorgeous beaded gown, the bridesmaids in long black dresses, the men in tuxedos. My little niece in a ball of tulle scattering rose petals down the long aisle of the grand stone Presbyterian Church on First Street. But Dr. Freeride had never asked. Oh, he'd hinted plenty of times. "After residency babe. Once I've established my practice we'll be able to do it right." Then he'd cheated on me, said he needed more time to figure out what he wanted from life.

Ten years ago. I'd been so naive. I even went back to him once, just a few months after meeting Josh. But being with Josh had already started to change me- within two weeks Dr. Freeride had shown his true colors again and this time I knew who the fool was. It wasn't me.

I smiled to myself as I headed toward the shops. They have some nice stores here. And I have his credit card.


	7. Chapter 7

Now the concierge is looking at me like I'm crazy. I can see he's trying to decide whether to call security or not. He goes for the gentle approach.

"She's beautiful. You know- maybe you should take this slow. Give yourself a chance to get to know her."

As I start to laugh, o.k. maybe a bit hysterically, I see his hand twitch toward the phone.

I take a deep breath. Time for professional Josh to step up.

"Hold on a second." My tone gets his attention. He deals with people all the time and he can tell I have authority. Maybe the backpack threw him off at first.

I reach down, unzip the front pocket and pull out the box. As he opens it, I tell him our story. Well, the abbreviated version.

"I've been carrying that ring around for 3 years. I couldn't propose while we worked together and I was too scared to change our dynamic. But having that ring . . . kept me sane more times than I can count. Donna and I-we are meant to be."

"Well, then sir. Let's get you two married."

Resorts like this specialize in these types of things, and on a Tuesday, last minute really isn't that big of a deal. I'm starting to get excited again. When we've finished all the details, I stand up and shake his hand.

He says: "She's a lucky lady.'

"No," I quickly correct him. I look down at my rumpled clothes, smirk a little to myself. Then I say-

"But she's waited a long time for me to be the man she deserves. Don't worry- I'm sure she'll be stopping by to make sure I don't screw it up."


	8. Chapter 8

I glanced at my watch- it's 10 am. The boutiques have been open for a half hour but they are still practically empty. I think everyone else is sleeping in. Between sleeping on the plane and the crazy hours we've been keeping, Josh & I are going strong. I'm sure we'll pass out again sometime soon. Just as long as its after sunset.

I stroll into Banana Republic. Not exactly where I thought I'd be shopping for my wedding dress- but it is one of my favorite stores. I'm not much of a "browser." I like to walk into a store, find the perfect thing and walk out. So I head straight for the dress section. I'm not really surprised to find several styles of long gauzy beach dresses- including several in white and ivory. Taking three, I head to the changing room.

The first one is an instant no. I thought that the lace would look nice, but really this is little more than a beach cover up. The second is okay. It could do. I turn and look at the third option. It doesn't look like much hanging there. It wasn't my first choice- its kind of plain; and I'm not really sure of the color- somewhere between white and ivory. I decide to put it on anyway. I gasp at myself. This is it. The color works with my skin tone. It has spaghetti straps, a really low back and its clinging in all the right places. It actually reminds me a little bit of a red dress I once wore on a date to pay Josh back for something stupid he said. I can't remember the name of the guy I went out with, but I'll never forget the look on Josh's face.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm sitting here looking at this marriage license application and I'm a little worried about screwing it up. Ken (the concierge and I are on a first name basis now) gave me the application and set up an appointment with the license agent on-site. I know I told Donna this was her job- but since Ken is on Team Josh, I figure its only right for me to do it.

I've got most of this information down but I'll freely admit I'm not 100% sure of her parents middle names and places of birth. If it asked for the cat's names instead, I'd be golden. Anyway, Donna & I have to appear together and sign the certification so there's no point in guessing. At least there is no waiting period in Hawaii. They'll give us our marriage license on the spot and they have "marriage performers" available too. I'm not kidding that is what they call them. I guess it covers all the bases, rabbi, priest, minister, judge. This is probably my only regret about a surprise wedding. I'd frequently imagined the President performing the wedding. He's very fond of Donna.

I reach for my phone to call Donna when I remember-its still sitting on my desk. I guess I'll just have to go down to the boutiques and find her.


	10. Chapter 10

Carrying my dress over my arm, I move on to the next shop. Josh didn't say that I was in charge of his clothes, but I think that after all these years that pretty much goes without saying. Tommy Bahama actually has a "beach wedding" section. I show the clerk a corner of my dress and we decide that a Sand Colored Linen Suit will compliment it nicely. The clerk suggests that shoes and a tie are not really necessary. Apparently a lot of guys use the beach wedding as an opportunity to avoid the "monkey suit." Not my man. I give her his sizes and just let her pick out socks and shoes- he's not really a sand between your toes kind of guy, and I don't really care what they look like.

The tie is something else. I'm willing to spend some time picking out the right one. I settle on the cornflower blue. Sure, there are times he foregoes the tie, and maybe we could skip it, but for everything important in his life he's worn a tie. I know he'll want one. Plus, tying his tie has been my main excuse for standing close to him for the last 8 years. I'm looking forward to taking this one off him. And, he has never seen me wearing his tie- and nothing else.

The clerk offers to send everything right up to our room. How convenient! I wonder if they do that to keep you shopping longer? Well it works. I check the directory and find Baron & Leeds. I know Josh will just want a plain band but I want something classy.

It only takes a few minutes to get the ring. They ask his size and for the first time in a long time I'm stumped. I start fantasizing about his hands- but I can't say much more than "average?" when it comes to ring size. The give me an 11 and assure me it can be exchanged if necessary. As I turn to leave something catches my eye, a case full of watches. I really want to give him something special and his watch sucks.


	11. Chapter 11

I'm walking confidently toward the boutiques when suddenly it hits me. I can't just pop into these stores! What if I see her in the dress?! On the other hand we really need to finish this paperwork. I'm standing at the entrance to the boutiques running options through my head. . . have her paged? Send Ken in for recon? Pull the fire alarm? No... that's probably not a good choice.

Suddenly Donna walks out of a jewelry store. I try to hide behind a ficus tree. I hear her musical laughter.

"Hey dork. You know I can see you, right?"

I grin at her. "Is it safe to come out?"

She laughs at me again and says "I don't know. Exactly what is it you are freaked out about?"

"I didn't want to see your dress."

"No worries. It's in a garment bag and its been sent up to the room." She comes over and kisses my cheek. "You know you really are very sweet."

"Are you done shopping?" After she says yes, I offer her my arm and we head towards the license agent's office.

I notice then that she only has a small bag from a jewelry store. Duh. I didn't think about a ring for me. I'm glad she's got it covered. I'm sure its great and I don't really care that much what it looks like- although I absolutely do want to wear one- but I see an opportunity for fun here.

"Hey. . .what's in the bag? Can I see?"

"No, Josh."

"Awww, come on. Is it for me? Show me."

"No."

"Want me to hold it? It looks heavy. I can carry it. I won't peek." She's rolling her eyes now. But she's still smiling. God. I love her.


	12. Chapter 12

Josh and I walk through the gallery arm in arm. I look over at him and smile. How can something so simple feel so right? He has a bounce in his step and his eyes are sparkling. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. For a second I am stunned- being with me makes him happy. Tears actually spring to my eyes. I make him happy.

He looks over at me and stops instantly.

"What's wrong?!"

"Nothing. Really." I grin. " These are happy tears."

"You're such a girl." Josh laughs at me.

We walk into the license-agent's office a few minutes early and take a seat. Josh hands me the form and I fill in the last few blanks. While we wait he starts talking about our wedding. He's bouncing in his seat again. He really is enjoying this.

"So- you know we can't both get ready in the room. . . .I can't see you in your dress . . ."

I laugh again and say, "I'm really surprised at how traditional you are being about this."

"Actually", he says, "we can't both get ready in the room because I'm afraid that if I see you in a wedding dress with a bed anywhere near by, we'll never make it to the ceremony." The intense look in his eye tells me not only that he's right, but that its really a shame we aren't in a room with a bed right now.

"I made an appointment at the spa for you. You know . . . all the girly stuff. You can get ready there. A wedding coordinator will make sure you get to the spot for the ceremony on time."

Now I really start to laugh. "Are you really going to try to convince me that I'm the one that's going to find it hard to be on time?"


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey!" She's stealing my fries again. She just looks up at me and shrugs. We both know that I ordered them for her anyway. There are times when I'm not sure how it is that we aren't already married. As she heads off toward the spa, I realize that as excited as I am about the wedding, I'd be just as happy sitting at lunch for the rest of my life watching her while she eats my food.

On the way back to the room, a flash of blue catches my eye. I stop at a window. It's perfect. I can already picture it around her neck and it matches her eyes. I ask the clerk to deliver it to the spa while I jot a note..."Something blue."

Once I'm back in the room I find the Baron and Leeds bag waiting for me. I'm not quite sure how she managed that since I've been with her for the last two hours. But its Donna. She never ceases to amaze me. I open the bag and pull out a nicely wrapped box. The watch inside is meant for a statesman. I turn it over. Under today's date it's inscribed: "For the rest of time..."


	14. Chapter 14

As I'm laying here thoughts tumble around in my brain.

I've been so focused on the election, Leo's death and watching Josh turn into a zombie, I think I missed just how tense I've been myself.

There are days where I think I've completely morphed into someone else. Propositioning Josh for sex? More than once. Not exactly the old Donna's style.

There are times when I've questioned whether I know what I'm doing. And I've had to admit to myself that I don't. I wanted to do something important on my own, to prove myself to everyone I admire, but still at times I just want to take care of Josh. In many ways those desires are intertwined. I want the really important thing I do to be about him too.

And right along with those desires, was the more basic desire. I just plain wanted him. In every way possible.

The sex really has nothing to do with the job and I know that. But Charlie's comments the other day had made me think of things differently. I knew that Josh would offer me some position in the administration. Above all, he is fair. My hard work on the campaign would be rewarded.

One of my biggest fears was that Josh would convince himself that he had taken advantage of me or that being with him would destroy my career, and that he would sacrifice our relationship when he came to that conclusion.

It's sort of funny how you can know deep in your soul that something is meant to be- but have no idea how its going to actually work out. That's how I'd felt yesterday afternoon. Mrs. Santos offer to be her chief of staff really had surprised me! I really didn't feel qualified. And I probably didn't handle that meeting very well.

But when I met with her to accept the job, and told her about this vacation, she'd hugged me and said- "Being friends with your boss isn't all bad."

I'd almost replied: "Sure, as long as you don't fall in love and ignore it for years!" I'd kept that response to myself and simply thanked her for the opportunity and for the vacation. She'd looked at me curiously for a few minutes. I think she wanted all the details. But she just said "Enjoy yourselves." I hadn't mentioned that I was going with Josh, but Helen Santos is sharper than she's given credit for. I think we will become good friends. I'm really excited to see what we can accomplish next to our powerful men.

The thoughts in my head are starting to slow down. I feel my shoulders relax. I think I heard the mostly silent masseuse mutter "about time" before I drift off to sleep.

The wedding assistant gently pats my shoulder. I stretch and smile at her. I feel better than I have in weeks. "What time is it?"

"Just enough time for hair and make up, and to slip into your dress."

Later I'm standing in front of a full length mirror, and I look like a bride! The cream satin dress is perfect. My make-up looks natural. And my hair has a slight curl to it. I haven't curled it in a long time, but when she asked I instantly remembered how it looked the night of the second Inauguration when Josh told me I looked amazing.

The wedding assistant smiles at me and says I'm missing something. She hands me a box. The note that's attached says "something blue" in Josh's scrawl. I open it to find a beautiful blue topaz teardrop pendant hanging on a delicate chain. I put it on and it lays perfectly in the hollow of my neck. I grin into the mirror.

The assistant hands me a bouquet of flowers. "Are you ready?"

Oh yes. I'm ready.


	15. Chapter 15

I stretched out on the bed and closed my eyes. A persistent tapping woke me up.

"Mr. Lyman?"

I looked down at my new watch- 4 O'clock! My wedding assistant was here. I opened the door.

"Sorry- I fell asleep."

"That's o.k., sir. I have everything you need to get ready. May I come in?"

As soon as I agree, he's rolling a cart into the room. He takes my suit from the bag-(Bless Donna!) and hangs it in the en suite. After shaving and a long shower, I get dressed and take a long look at myself in the mirror.

I'm not as young as I used to be, but I look better than I have in weeks. I avoided mirrors as much as possible during the last month of the campaign but I know I was looking rough. I didn't miss the shock and sympathy on people's faces. And Donna had come right out and told me that I looked terrible more than once.

"Donna." I whisper to myself and smile. The man looking back at me in the mirror suddenly looks younger. Donna. Donna. I'm going to marry Donna.

I walk out of the bathroom and stop. The wedding assistant has transformed the room into a dream. Rose petals scattered on the bed and floor. Champagne chilling in a bucket. LED Candles everywhere. The room is glowing.

"Is this acceptable, sir?"

"It's amazing."

"Very good, sir. It's time. Are you ready?"

Oh yes. I'm ready.


	16. Chapter 16

Wendy, the assistant, walks me over to a side door. Earlier she explained that this part of the spa was used exactly for this purpose. Several rooms for brides to get ready and the door leads out to the location of the wedding. The photographer left a few minutes ago. Whenever I tell her to Wendy will start the music and the ceremoney will begin. I take a deep breath and nod my head.

She opens the door and I step through it. I'm standing on a short sidewalk that is lined with candles and covered in rose petals. Directly in front of me is a gazebo over-looking the beach. Josh is standing there with the most incredible look on his face. I want to run to him but somehow I manage to pace myself. As I slowly walk down the path, I hear bits of the song that is playing. It's not one I've ever heard before- but the lyrics are perfect.

 _We are gonna build a life together  
You and I for ever and ever  
And we'll, we'll make babies on the beach  
Under the stardust  
And I'll hear your voice come through the door  
A thousand times, maybe more  
And I'll smile inside to know you're mine  
Completely_

(The Wedding Song- Angus & Julia Stone)

When I reach the gazebo, I take Josh's hands in mine. I barely register how handsome he looks in his suit because the look on his face is taking my breath away. No one has ever looked at me this way before.


	17. Chapter 17

When the door opened, I swear my heart stopped. I wanted to run down the path and take her in my arms but a gentle hand on my sleeve stopped me so I managed to wait. As she came up the path, I tried to drink in every detail- from the candles to the rose petals, the flower behind her ear, the creamy satin clinging to her curves. I had tried to create the perfect romantic setting, but none of it is really registering in my brain. All I keep thinking is: if this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up.

Finally, she arrives and takes my hands. I lean down and give her a long kiss.

"Hey now..." the justice of the peace gently rebukes me "don't get too far ahead of me." But he's smiling.

I grin back, unrepentant. The music is fading and he's starting the ceremony. When Ken asked me what kind of ceremony we wanted, at first I'd said Jewish. It came out automatically. Then I said- wait, no, protestant. And then I'd looked helplessly at him. He'd suggested a simple ceremony with a justice of the peace, using our own vows so that we can make the promises that are imporant to us. He reminded me that if we wanted to have some sort of elaborate religous ceremony we could always have one in the future. Donna loved the idea of our own vows and said we could talk about a religious ceremony someother time if I wanted to but she didn't need one.

"Josh and Donna- you have chosen this time and place to declare your love for each other and to officially join your lives together . . . although from what I understand that process began about ten years ago." We smile and nod.

"Actually, this is the part where you say 'I do.'"

"Donna, do you take Josh to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do" my radiant bride repeats.

"Josh, do you take Donna to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Absolutely! "I do."

The justice of the peace continues- "Having heard your intention to be married. I now ask you to declare your marriage vows to each other."

I'm up first. I take a deep breath and look into Donna's eyes. I feel light-headed. Like, really. Shoot. What was I going to say? I close my eyes a second and count to three. She whispers "Josh. I love you. Just tell me how you feel."

I open my eyes and grin.

"Donnatella- the day I met you my world instantly changed for the better. It's not what you do for me... it's what you do to me. You help me see the world in a different way. You soften my rough edges. I've always wanted to conquer the world and make it a better place. But you give me a reason to do it... and you come along side me and help make it happen. You are a better person than I am and I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to being the man you deserve."

She beams at me. Earlier when I was trying to come up with vows, I'll admit, I sort of thought that the the goal was to make her cry. The problem was I couldn't figure out anything to say that I didn't make me bawl too. I'm glad I forgot all of the mushy stuff I was trying to come up with and just spoke from my heart. Donna knows that I'm intense and she gives as good as she gets.


	18. Chapter 18

I'm so glad Josh didn't go for mushy. I mean if you don't count the candles, rose petals and Hawaiian sunset. The romance factor is a solid 10 here, but the vows I came up with are not soft and gooey. I have some things I need to tell him.

"Joshua, from the moment I met you you've been the center of my universe. Some people told me not to lose my heart to you. Some people suggested that you'd never love a woman the way you love politics. But I've always known that my Josh is not the same one everyone else sees. My Josh took a chance on me. My Josh shared his world with me. My Josh did find something to love more than politics. I'll admit I haven't always trusted you completely. I didn't trust myself completely either. But I'm not a naive twenty-something anymore. I spread my wings just to make sure I could fly on my own. But I also discovered that I don't want to. I am who I am today because you are the center of my universe. I am a better person because of you. And I promise to spend the rest of my life by your side conquering the world together."

The justice of the peace is probably thinking that these are the least romantic vows he's ever heard. But Josh is looking at me with absolute pride.

He turns to Josh. "Do you have the ring?"

Josh's dimples come out full force. "Only for about 3 years!"

The justice of the peace smiles too. "Well then, let's get on it. Place the ring on Donna's finger and repeat after me: "With this ring, I thee wed."

While Josh is repeating the words I look at the ring sliding onto my finger. It's a platinum eternity band with tiny diamonds. It is simple, delicate, understated. Its not some huge, flashy rock meant to tell the world that he's staked his claim, or to announce some new powerful alliance. It is just a simple declaration of a steadfast love, a slow burn. It looks like it belongs there and I love it.

The justice of the peace turns to me. "Donna, do you have a ring for Josh?"

I slide a platinum band onto his finger and repeat: "With this ring I thee wed." Josh looks at it and his eyebrows slide up his forehead. I did a pretty good job of matching his ring to mine- minus the diamonds, of course. He looks up at me with a smirk. I think he's realized that he didn't surprise me with the ring.

"Don't think we won't be talking about this later, Donnatella." My knees go a little weak when his voice gets husky like that. And it reminds me that we never did talk about my name embroidered in my underwear. A giggle bursts forth. And Josh starts grinning too. I wonder if he's thinking the same thing.

The justice of the peace is looking back and forth between us at this change in tone. Finally he says:

"Okay, now you may kiss your bride."


	19. Chapter 19

Kissing Donna is still the greatest thing I've ever done. That moment when we shared a victory together and finally accepted that just because something is meant to be doesn't mean that that there is a perfect time for it. We may have taken a long time to get to this point, but here we are, in the one of the most beautiful places on earth, strolling on the beach as husband and wife with the sun setting behind us.


	20. Chapter 20: Author's Notes

Author's notes:

Josh & Donna are staying at the Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott®, Maui.

I have asked starbuckmeggie to write the Wedding Night. It will be an M rating. Frankly, I'm not comfortable writing it- but I'd sure like to read it. I'll post a link when she is done.

I am contemplating starting a new story "The Rest of the Vacation" that will be romance/humorous short stories about what else happens in Hawaii. I'd love prompts or encouragement. Someone also asked for a story about how Josh & Donna tell people they eloped. I'm thinking about that one too.

Thank you all for reading my first bits of fanfiction. Its been fun.


	21. Chapter 21

Check out  s/12707765/1/ Wedding Interlude written by starbuckmeggie for the story of Josh & Donna's Wedding Night in this universe.

I have continued my story in "The Vacation Part 2" which is Romance/Humor/Fluff about the rest of the vacation. s/12689224/1/The-Vacation-Part-2

I also have more stories in the planning stages. That will take place in the Santos Administration and beyond.

Thanks for staying tuned!


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